Men (and Women) at Arms – Britain at War

Creina Mansfield, Alan Sennett and John Cochrane

The Second World War undoubtedly proved a transformative experience for many ordinary people. Historians have long debated the extent and nature of the war’s impact upon gender, social class, welfare, politics, culture and economics. Our three connected day schools will explore in some depth the social, literary and political changes wrought by what has been termed the “people’s war”. Developing and drawing upon different illustrative sources from those of our previous series – “Put out More Flags” – we will explore themes including: social welfare, fears of invasion, the role of women, the Home Front, wartime film propaganda, cities at war, the impact of aerial bombing. The topics will be: